Today we’re launching Earth Defenders Toolkit, a collaborative space for earth defenders and their allies. The Toolkit provides a growing collection of resources and training materials for communities on the frontlines of the struggle to defend critical ecosystems around the world, and community networks for users to connect and share their experiences, and was built in collaboration with many of our close partners around the world.
Why did we build the Toolkit? Over the past year, while the Covid-19 pandemic has halted most travel, we’ve seen threats against Indigenous and other frontline defenders increase. For many of our partners, the pandemic has brought dual threats of disease AND increased invasion of their territories by illegal loggers and miners. At the same time, more and more communities are reaching out to request support and trainings on how to use technology to protect their land, and we created Earth Defenders Toolkit as a way to share success stories and best practices, advice on how to determine what tools are right for a particular project, and foster community between frontline communities around the world.
Our goal with Earth Defenders Toolkit is to provide and promote approaches to using technology in a way that supports local autonomy and ownership over tools and data, and reduces reliance on outside support. The website is available in English, French, Portuguese and Spanish, and includes a community forum, case studies, an interactive tool-finder and featured tools. Read the press release
Upcoming events
Global Launch event for Earth Defenders Toolkit: July 14, 2021
Join Digital Democracy, Oxfam, Amazon Frontlines and partners from around the world as we feature content from Earth Defenders Toolkit along with stories from frontline defenders on multiple continents, and breakout session conversations. There will be Spanish and Portuguese translation.
Africa Forum for Earth Defenders: July 21, 2021
Join Digital Democracy, Natural Justice and Oxfam for a conversation about the state of Environmental Defenders in Africa, with stories from frontline defenders from across the continent, and breakout groups where participants can connect directly and share resources and best practices with one another. There will be French and English translation.